Panel Rejects Call for Election Fraud Probe of Packwood

The Senate Rules Committee, as expected, declined Thursday to involve itself in the ongoing investigation of accusations that Sen. Bob Packwood (R-Ore.) sexually harassed numerous women during the past two decades.

The committee voted, 11 to 0, against acting on a petition by a group of Oregon voters. The voters had asked that Packwood’s narrow 1992 election victory be overturned, alleging that he had prevented disclosure of the sexual harassment accusations until after Election Day.

The Washington Post first reported the allegations of sexual harassment by 10 former Packwood staff members, lobbyists and others several weeks after the election.

Since then, the number of accusers has grown to more than 20, and a Senate Ethics Committee investigation is under way.

Packwood initially denied the accusations but later admitted that what he had done was “just plain wrong.” He declined, however, to explain what his actions were.

Although the Rules Committee has the power to investigate cases of alleged election fraud, the investigations usually have centered on such issues as ballot-tampering. During a hearing last week, many members of the committee expressed reluctance to delve into the question of whether lying is a form of election fraud.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), a member of the panel, expressed concern that such an investigation would open “a Pandora’s box.”